Car Accident Lawyer

When you enter your vehicle and start the engine, you may have a hundred things flowing through your mind as you start to drive. Thoughts about daily problems, fights with a significant other, or even how painful the shoes you are wearing can all draw your attention away from the task at hand – operating a motor vehicle. Since your car is a heavy piece of machinery, even the smallest mental distraction can cause a serious accident that injures other drivers or pedestrians. Here are three of the most common causes of distracted driving.

Cell Phones

Cell phone usage while driving is more than a problem with teenagers; in fact, studies show that people of all ages will absently search for their phone to answer it when a call comes in. The problem with inattentive and distracted driving because of cell phone use led to 48 states to ban usage while driving, and police officers are urged to pull over anyone they see using a cell phone and give that driver a ticket.

Driving Under the Influence

Although you may not realize it, when you drive under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, or even some prescription drugs, the law says you are driving under the influence, which means you are a distracted driver. Many drugs inhibit the mind’s ability to quickly grasp and analyze normal driving circumstances, which can lead to serious, life-altering vehicle accidents.

Commotion in the Cab

If you are eating, drinking, or adjusting the radio in the cab of your car, you could easily become distracted. If a part of your hamburger fell onto your shirt or some coffee spilled on your pants, your first instinct is to look down and brush at the spot. Even a 2 second distraction can have deadly consequences if the car in front of you suddenly needs to stop in traffic. Other cab commotions can include fighting with a passenger, inputting GPS information, and putting on makeup.

You may be one of the fortunate few who have broken the distracted driving rules and escaped serious consequences, but distraction can have deadly consequences that will forever alter lives and require you to contact a car accident lawyer, like a car accident lawyer in Salt Lake City, UT. 

Being inattentive while driving can be dangerous for you, your passengers, and anyone else on the road as you look away from the road long enough to find your favorite song on a playlist or answer your secretary’s call. When you are behind the wheel of your vehicle, do yourself and everyone else the favor of paying attention. It could save a life.

Thanks to Rasmussen & Miner for their insight into some of the dangers of distracted driving.